STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL
OFFICER REGARDING FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, George L. Engelke, Jr., the principal executive officer of Astoria Financial
Corporation, state and attest that:

(1)      To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports
         of Astoria Financial Corporation, and, except as corrected or
         supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

         -        no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material
                  fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in
                  the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy
                  materials, as of the date on which it was filed); and

         -        no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary
                  to make the statements in the covered report, in light of the
                  circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of
                  the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case
                  of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of
                  the date on which it was filed).

(2)      I have reviewed the contents of this statement with Astoria Financial
         Corporation's Audit Committee.

(3)      In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed on or
         before the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

         -        Astoria Financial Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
                  the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 filed with the
                  Securities and Exchange Commission on or about March 26, 2002;

         -        all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all
                  definitive proxy materials of Astoria Financial Corporation
                  filed with the Commission subsequent to the filing of the Form
                  10-K identified above; and

         -        any amendments to any of the foregoing.


/s/ George L. Engelke, Jr.                Subscribed and sworn to before me this
- --------------------------------------    12th day of August, 2002.
George L. Engelke, Jr.
August 12, 2002
                                          /s/ Thomas E. Lavery
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                                          Notary Public

                                          My Commission Expires:
                                          July 31, 2004
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